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Glossary

Term

Definition

.NET Framework

The .NET
Framework is a component of the Windows operating system that provides the
programming model for building, deploying and running Web-based applications,
smart client applications and Web services. The .NET Framework consists of
the common language runtime (CLR) and a unified class library.

Active Directory

The
Windows directory service that provides a unified, hierarchical view of
complex networks.

ADO.NET

The suite
of data access technologies included in the .NET Framework class libraries

ASP.NET

The
development component for building server-based Web applications. An
evolution of ASP into the .NET Framework.

Assembly

The
primary building block—also the unit of deployment and versioning—of a .NET
Framework application. An assembly includes an assembly manifest, which
describes the contents of the assembly

C#

A new
ECMA-approved programming language designed for the .NET Framework. C#, which
is an evolution of C and C++, is type safe and object oriented. Because it is
compiled as managed code, it benefits from the services of the common
language runtime, such as language interoperability, enhanced security, and garbage
collection.

Class Library, .NET Framework

A library
of classes, interfaces, and value types that are included in the Microsoft
.NET Framework and can be used from any CLS-compliant language. The .NET
Framework class library provides access to system functionality and is
designed to be the foundation on which .NET Framework applications,
components, and controls are built.

Common Language Runtime (CLR)

The
engine at the core of .NET Framework-managed code execution. The runtime
supplies managed code with services such as cross-language integration, code
access security, object lifetime management, and debugging and profiling
support.

Common Language Specification (CLS)

A subset
of .NET Framework features that are supported by a broad set of compliant
languages and tools. CLS-compliant languages and tools are guaranteed to
interoperate with other CLS-compliant languages and tools.

ECMA

A
European standards body created in 1961. Internationally accredited ECMA has
fast-track approval for ISO and is the forum for successful standards such as
ECMAScript.

Evidence-Based Security

The .NET
Framework introduces the concept of evidence-based
security, referring to inputs to the security policy about
code—such as from what site, security zone, or URL was an assembly obtained,
what is its strong name, and whether it has a digital signature and from
whom. Based on these and other answers—which can come from multiple sources
depending on where the code is run—the appropriate security policy can be
applied, and the appropriate permissions may be granted to the assembly..

Extensible Markup Language (XML)

A subset
of Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) that is optimized for delivery
over the Web. XML provides a uniform method for describing and exchanging
structured data that is independent of applications or vendors.

Garbage Collection (GC)

The
process of transitively tracing through all pointers to actively used objects
to locate all objects that can be referenced and then arranging to reuse any
heap memory that was not found during this trace. The CLR garbage collector
also compacts the memory that is in use to reduce the working space needed
for the heap.

HTTP

Hyper
Text Transfer Protocol is a standard Internet protocol for transfer of
information between servers and between clients and servers.

IDL

Interface
Definition Language. A language used by applications to specify the various
interfaces they intend to offer to other applications.

Microsoft intermediate language (MSIL)

A
language used as the output of a number of compilers and as the input to a
just-in-time (JIT) compiler, which produces native code. MSL defines an
abstract, stack-based execution model.

JIT

An
acronym for "just-in-time", a phrase that describes an action that
is taken only when it becomes necessary, such as just-in-time compilation or
just-in-time object activation.

Loosely Coupled Architecture

A
distributed application in which you can change the implementation of one
tier without affecting any of the other tiers. Contrast tightly coupled
architecture.

Managed Code

Managed
code supplies the metadata necessary for the CLR to provide services, such as
memory management, cross-language integration, code access security, and
automatic lifetime control of objects. All code based on MSIL executes as
managed code.

Manifest

An
integral part of every assembly that renders the assembly self-describing via
metadata. The metadata describes which modules and resource files are part of
a particular assembly, which types are exported, and which other assemblies
are referenced. It also specifies which security permissions are required to
run, what additional permissions are optionally requested, and what
permissions the assembly refuses.

Metadata

Data (or
information) about data. Many different systems use metadata—for example, type
libraries in COM provide metadata and databases have schemas. In the CLR,
metadata is used to describe assemblies and types. It is stored with them in
the executable files, and is used by compilers, tools, and the runtime to
provide a wide range of services. Metadata is essential for runtime type
information and dynamic method invocation.

Native Code

Code that
has been compiled to processor-specific machine code.

n-tier

System
architecture that separates presentation, business logic, data access, and
database (or other persistence mechanism) tiers.

Reflection

.NET
Framework technology that allows you to examine metadata that describes types
and their members. Reflection can be used to create, invoke, and access type
instances at run time.

Serviced Component

The
mechanism that enables COM+ services to be available to .NET Framework
classes.

Side-by-Side Execution

The
ability to run multiple versions of the same assembly simultaneously. This
can be on the same computer or in the same process or application domain.
Allowing assemblies to run side-by-side is essential to support robust
versioning in the common language runtime. Side-by-side is also used to
describe to describe two versions of the .NET Framework running simultaneously
on the same computer.

SOAP

Simple
Object Access Protocol, a W3C standard. A lightweight protocol for exchange
of information in a decentralized, distributed environment. It is an
XML-based protocol for exchanging structured and type information on the Web.
The SOAP protocol contains no application or transport semantics, which makes
it highly modular and extensible.

Tightly Coupled Architecture

A
distributed application where a change to any tier affects some or all the
other remaining tiers. Contrast loosely coupled architecture.

UDDI

Universal
Description, Discovery, and Integration (UDDI) specification. An initiative
that creates a global, platform-independent, open framework to enable Web
service providers to advertise the existence of their Web services and for
Web service consumers to locate Web services of interest.

Unmanaged Code

Code that
was created without knowledge for the conventions and requirements of the
.NET Framework. Unmanaged code executes in the .NET Framework environment
with minimal services (for example, no garbage collection, limited debugging,
and no declarative security).

A
programming model that provides the ability to exchange messages in a
scalable, loosely coupled, and platform-neutral environment using standard
protocols such as HTTP, XML, XSD, SOAP, and WSDL. The SOAP-based XML messages
exchanged between a Web service and its clients can be structured and typed,
or loosely defined. The flexibility of using a text format such as XML enables
the message exchange to evolve over time in a loosely coupled way. Because
they are based on standard protocols and are platform neutral, Web services
enable communication with a broad variety of implementations, platforms, and
devices.

Web Services Description Language (WSDL)

An
XML-based contract language for describing network services offered by a
server.